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The Steiner Brothers
The Steiner Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of American brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner. The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team debuted in 1989, and competed in promotions such as Extreme Championship Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, winning in the process 11 World Tag Team Championships and one United States Tag Team Championship, before disbanding in 1998. The brothers reunited on the independent circuit in the early 2000s, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in May 2007. They are the first tag team to hold the WWF World Tag Team Championship, the WCW World Tag Team Championship, and the IWGP Tag Team Championship. Professional wrestling career World Championship Wrestling (1988–1992) At Starrcade '88 and Chi-Town Rumble, Scott Steiner started to accompany his brother Rick in his matches. Not long after, the brothers started to team up in January 1989. With Missy Hyatt in their corner, the Steiner Brothers were an up-and-coming tag team, mixing technique, power, speed, and agility. They later added Robin Green to the group. With their tremendous win-loss record, they earned a shot at the NWA World Tag Team Championship, held by the Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin). On September 12, 1989, at Clash of the Champions, the Steiners lost when Green tripped Scott, causing him to get DDT'd and pinned by Hayes. Green would transform into Woman, and brought a tag team called Doom to wrestle the Steiners at Halloween Havoc, in which the Steiners lost. On November 1, 1989, in Atlanta, Georgia, the Steiners defeated the Freebirds for the NWA World Tag Team titles; the title change would air on the November 18 episode of World Championship Wrestling. They held the titles until May 19, 1990, when they were defeated by Doom in Washington, D.C. at Capital Combat. The Steiners defeated The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship on August 24, 1990 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. During their title reign, World Championship Wrestling rebranded the championships they owned and controlled, and the title was renamed the WCW United States Tag Team Championship. Upon winning the WCW World Tag Team Championship on February 18, 1991 (the title change aired on the March 9 episode of WCW Pro Wrestling), the Steiners vacated the WCW United States Tag Team Championship on February 20, 1991. They were the second team ever to hold both the WCW World and United States Tag Team titles at once (The Midnight Express tandem of Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane were the first team to accomplish that feat in September 1988). After the Steiners won the IWGP Tag Team Championship from Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasaki on March 21, 1991, WCW announcers began referring to them as "Triple Crown Champions". At the same time, Scott was being groomed as a singles performer. On WCW's weekend TBS shows (WCW Power Hour, WCW Saturday Night, and WCW Main Event). There was a special "gauntlet" match segment where a performer was picked to wrestle a top star on each show on that weekend, winning the sum of $15,000 USD (kayfabe) if they defeated all three. Scott was the second to run the gauntlet, with his second opponent being Ric Flair. Because the Four Horsemen clumsily interfered, Steiner beat Flair by pinfall. He would then get a title match against Flair at Clash of the Champions XIV: Dixie Dynamite on January 30, 1991, which ended in a time limit draw. Scott would go on to win the WCW World Television Championship from Ricky Steamboat on September 29, 1992, and began teasing a heel turn, which was aborted upon the Steiner Brothers leaving WCW for the World Wrestling Federation after being lowballed on their contract renewal by then-WCW head Bill Watts. World Wrestling Federation (1992–1994) The Steiners left WCW in November 1992, with Scott vacating the WCW World Television Championship. They quickly signed contracts with the World Wrestling Federation, making their televised debut as babyfaces in an interview on the December 21, 1992, edition of WWF Prime Time Wrestling. During their WWF run, emphasis would be placed on their accomplishments at the University of Michigan, including using Michigan's fight song The Victors as their entrance music and wearing Michigan-themed ring attire. They appeared on the debut episode of Monday Night Raw on January 11, 1993. They made their WWF pay-per-view debut on January 24, 1993 at the 1993 Royal Rumble, defeating The Beverly Brothers (Blake and Beau). At WrestleMania IX on April 4, 1993, the Steiner Brothers defeated The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu). Following WrestleMania IX, the Steiners began feuding with Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster). At King of the Ring 1993 on June 13, 1993, the Steiners and The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart) defeated The Headshrinkers and Money, Inc. The following evening, at the June 14, 1993 television taping, the Steiners defeated Money, Inc. for the WWF Tag Team Championship in Columbus, Ohio. (The Steiners were still babyfaces in the match despite Columbus being home to Michigan's archrival, Ohio State.) Money, Inc. regained the titles on June 16, 1993 at a house show in Rockford, Illinois, but lost the titles to the Steiners once again at another house show on June 19, 1993 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Steiners successfully defended their titles against the Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) on August 30, 1993 at SummerSlam 1993. On the September 13, 1993 episode of Raw in New York City, New York, the Steiners defended their titles against The Quebecers (Jacques and Pierre) in a "Province of Quebec rules" match, wherein titles can change hands via disqualification. The match ended when the manager of The Quebecers, Johnny Polo, threw a hockey stick into the ring, which was caught by Scott. When the referee saw Scott holding the illegal weapon, he disqualified the Steiner Brothers, thus awarding the title to The Quebecers. Scott gained a measure of revenge by defeating Pierre in a singles match the following week on Raw. At the 1993 Survivor Series on November 24, 1993, the Steiners teamed with Lex Luger and The Undertaker as "The All-Americans". The All-Americans defeated their opponents, "The Foreign Fanatics" (Yokozuna, Crush, Ludvig Borga and Jacques), although Luger was the sole survivor. On January 22, 1994, both Steiners entered the 1994 Royal Rumble, with Scott entering at number one. After Rick entered at number three, the brothers cooperated until being eliminated by Owen Hart and Diesel respectively. The Steiners wrestled sparingly after that and eventually left the promotion in mid 1994. Scott appeared last in a King of the Ring qualifier loss to Irwin R. Schyster at the April 13 Superstars of Wrestling taping (which included a run-in from Rick after the match), which aired on May 7. Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995) The Steiners debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling on July 28, 1995 in the Orange County Fairgrounds in Middletown, New York, defeating Dudley Dudley and Vampire Warrior. They next appeared with ECW in The Flagstaff on August 4, 1995 in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, defeating Dudley Dudley and 2 Cold Scorpio. The Steiner Brothers made their debut in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ECW Arena on August 5, 1995 at WrestlePalooza 1995, teaming with Eddie Guerrero in a loss to Scorpio, Dean Malenko and Cactus Jack. On August 25, 1995 in Jim Thorpe they defeated Scorpio and Malenko, and they went on to defeat Scorpio and Chris Benoit the following evening. On August 28, 1995, they defeated Dudley Dudley and Dances with Dudley in the Big Apple Dinner Theater in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. At Gangstas' Paradise on September 16, 1995, the Steiners joined forces with Taz in a loss to The Eliminators (John Kronus and Perry Saturn) and Jason. On September 23, 1995 in Middletown, they defeated Raven and Stevie Richards. Scott made one more appearance (teaming with Taz in a losing effort against The Eliminators on October 28, 1995) before the brothers departed from ECW. World Championship Wrestling (1996–1998) The Steiners re-signed with WCW in 1996. They initially feuded with the Road Warriors and had several matches with then champions Sting and Lex Luger. They would eventually win the WCW World Tag Team Championship from Harlem Heat on July 24, 1996, but Harlem Heat would regain the title just three days later and the title changes were never mentioned on TV. A short time later, Scott was sidelined with an injury and Rick had several singles matches until Scott returned to the ring the following January. Following the formation of the New World Order (nWo), the Steiners began feuding with The Outsiders, who had won the WCW World Tag Team Championship from Harlem Heat. The Steiners spent the entirety of 1997 and into 1998 feuding with the duo of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. They also feuded with other nWo members like Vicious and Delicious and continued to have matches with Harlem Heat. Separation and beyond (1997–1998) The beginning of Scott's heel turn began in late 1997/early 1998 when he, now with increased muscle mass, having cut his signature mullet, and sporting a goatee, started a feud with Buff Bagwell over who had the better physique, as well as developing a short fuse with his temper. Scott and Rick began having problems teaming up, as Scott would often not tag his brother into matches. The team entered 1998 as the tag team champions, but the dissention caused them to lose the belts. It was not the end of the team's troubles, as Scott would often wrestle a whole match by himself, refuse to tag Rick when he would need to leave the ring, and would often keep the referee distracted with his own antics. On the February 2, 1998 edition of Nitro, things appeared to come to a head when Scott scored the victory in a tag team match against Nash and Bagwell by pinning Bagwell without making a tag to Rick, and Rick screamed and yelled at his brother for his actions. One week later, however, the duo won the WCW World Tag Team Championship again. The final straw came at SuperBrawl VIII on February 22, 1998 when the brothers would face The Outsiders again. Midway through the match, Rick knocked both Hall and Nash out of the ring while both attempted to attack him behind the referee's back and celebrated by running around the ring barking while Scott entered the ring to celebrate with him. Scott then attacked Rick by hitting him in the back, followed by a double underhook powerbomb. Scott then abandoned his brother to be taken out by Hall and Nash and signified that he was joining the nWo by personally handing Hall and Nash the championship belts himself. The next night on Monday Nitro, he adopted a new gimmick that was somewhat reminiscent of Superstar Billy Graham, dyeing his hair and beard blond and increasing in muscle mass even further, damaging his agility. The two brothers had a feud that also involved Scott's new partner Buff Bagwell, while Rick teamed with a variety of partners including Kenny Kaos, Lex Luger and Bagwell's mother Judy. Shortly before WCW's demise, the Steiners reunited, not so much as a tag team but they were both heels who watched each other's backs. When WCW closed, the two went their separate ways again. The Steiner Brothers are highly regarded as one of the greatest tag teams of all time in professional wrestling. Reunions (2006–2008) The brothers reunited for the United Wrestling Federation in Wilson, North Carolina to defeat the Matt Bentley and Frankie Kazarian. They also defeated Team 3D the next night in Wilmington, North Carolina. On December 9, 2006, the Steiners won the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2007–2008) At the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling pay-per-view Sacrifice 2007, Scott Steiner teamed with Tomko in a Triple Threat Tag Team match. They lost the match and the miscommunication between Steiner and Tomko led Tomko to attack Steiner following the match. Rick Steiner made his return and fought off Tomko, thus reuniting the Steiner Brothers. They were set to face Team 3D at Slammiversary 2007 for their World Tag Team Championship. An injury to Scott's trachea in Puerto Rico, however, put the match in question, until he was replaced by longtime rival Road Warrior Animal. While Scott was out for his injury, Team 3D developed into arrogant heel characters, demanding his return and teasing his near-death injury. The duo then appeared and attacked Team 3D at Victory Road, costing them their World Tag Team titles. The return of the Steiner Brothers involved Scott and Rick becoming faces, completing a full circle of development for the team. At Hard Justice, the Steiner Brothers defeated Team 3D. On the August 16 episode of Impact!, the Steiner brothers lost in a Handicap match to Kurt Angle after interference from Team 3D, heating up their feud. At Bound for Glory the Steiner brothers defeated Team 3D in a two out of three falls table match. The following month at Genesis, the Steiners received a tag team title shot against A.J. Styles and Tomko, but were unsuccessful in winning the titles. In 2008 however, Rick was released from TNA due to budget cuts while Scott continued to wrestle, breaking up the Steiners once again. Reunions (2013-present) On June 23, 2013, The Steiner Brothers defeated Homicide and Eddie Kingston at a House of Hardcore event. On September 21, 2013 The Steiner Brothers reunited at the American Pro Wrestling Alliance defeating Viper and Bulldozer in Shinnston, WV for Frontier Days. They would return to the American Pro Wrestling Alliance again on January 11, 2014 to face former NFL Atlanta Falcon, Moose and APWA World Heavyweight Champion, "The Black Superman" ONYX. The Steiners were already confirmed for three APWA shows in 2014. On September 6, 2014, The Steiner Brothers reunited in Wichita Falls, TX for Pure Action Championship Wrestling's Brawl In The Falls III, winning and becoming the promotion's final tag team champions. On October 20, 2014 The Steiner Brothers defeated Dynasty members Jarrod Michaels and Scotty Biggs at SSCW "Breaking the Law" in Nashville, GA. On November 29, 2014, The Steiner Brothers defeated The Rock N Roll Express, The Faces of Fear and George South and Tom Prichard at WrestleCade 2014. In wrestling *'Double-team finishing moves' **''Steinerizer/Manhattan Bulldog'' (Scott lifts the opponent up followed by Rick hitting an aided diving bulldog) **''Steiner DDT'' (Rick lifts the opponent up followed by Scott hitting an aided elevated DDT) **''Steiner Device'' (Rick holds the opponent in an electric chair position while Scott delivers a diving clothesline to the opponent) *'Double-team signature moves' **''Steiner-Line'' / German suplex combination *'Scott's finishing moves' **''Frankensteiner'' – 1980s–1990s; used rarely as a regular move thereafter **''Steiner Recliner'' (Standing camel clutch) **''SSD – Steiner Screwdriver'' (Vertical suplex piledriver) **Twisting double underhook powerbomb – mid-late 1990s *'Rick's finishing moves' **Diving bulldog **''Steiner Driver'' (Death Valley driver) *'Managers' **Ted DiBiase **Robin Green *'Entrance themes' **"Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer (WCW) – 1989 **"Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses (WCW / SMW / ECW) – 1989–1990, 1993, 1995 **"The Best Is Yet To Come" (WCW) – 1990 **"Swamp Dog" (WCW) – 1990–1992 **"Star Spangled Banner" (WCW) – Starrcade '90 **"The Way Of The Wizard" (NJPW) – 1991–1997 **"The Victors (University of Michigan Fight Song)" (WWF) – 1992–1994 **"Steinerized" by D.Conort, M.seitz, J.Papa (WCW) – 1996–1998 Championships and accomplishments *'George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame' **Class of 2014 *'World Championship Wrestling' **NWA/WCW World Television Championship (2 times) – Rick (1) and Scott (1) **NWA (Mid-Atlantic)/WCW World Tag Team Championship (7 times) **NWA/WCW United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) **Pat O'Connor Memorial Tag Team Tournament (1990) *'Mid-Atlantic Wrestling' **NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (1 time)1 *'New Japan Pro Wrestling' **IWGP Tag Team Championship (2 times) *'Preston City Wrestling' **PCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) *'Pro Wrestling America' **PWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) *'Pro Wrestling Illustrated' **PWI Match of the Year (1991) – **PWI Tag Team of the Year (1990, 1993) **PWI ranked them #'2' of the best 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" in 2003 *'Pure Action Championship Wrestling' **PACW Tag Team Championship (1 time) *'United Wrestling Federation' **UWF Rock 'n' Roll Express Championship (1 time, current) *'World Wrestling Federation' **WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) *'Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards' **5 Star Match (1991) with Sting and Brian Pillman vs. Ric Flair, Larry Zbyszko, Barry Windham and Sid Vicious (February 24, WarGames match, WrestleWar) **Match of the Year (1991) vs. Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasaki, WCW/New Japan Supershow, Tokyo, March 21 **Tag Team of the Year (1990) 1While this Mid-Atlantic promotion is an NWA affiliated promotion, operates out of the same region as the first Mid-Atlantic promotion, and has revived some of the championships it used, it isn't the same promotion. The original Mid-Atlantic promotion was once owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. and was sold outright to Ted Turner in November 1988. The promotion was then renamed World Championship Wrestling. References Category:New Japan Pro Wrestling teams and stables Category:Tag Teams